thomas



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

GEORGE J. OOLBY AND LEVI H. THOMAS, OE WATERBURY, VERMONT.

TOY BOAT.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 53,787,

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, GEORGE J. GoLBY and LEVI H. THOMAS, of the town of Waterbury, in the county of Washington, State of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy Boats, as a new article of manufacture and sale, t'or the amusement of children; and the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reterence being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a longitudinal section cut through the boat, showing the rocking, propelling, and steering mechanism. Eig. 2 shows a bottom or under-side View ofthe same. Fig. 3 shows a detached view of the ratchetpawl and levers for propelling.

The object of our invention is to supply an attractive toyboat for the amusement ot' juveniles, which can also be made of sufficient size to serve the purpose ot' a cradle or bed for infants, as well as a nursery perambulator or carriage for children.

Our invention consists in hanging a boat on pivots in a frame or base, which is painted to resemble water and waves, so that by the action otsuitablc mechanism the boat will have a rocking or tipping motion as it is being drawn or propelled, thus imitating' the motion of a boat on the water, and producing a pleasant illusion soothing tothe minds of children.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our improved toy boat or n ursery-perambulator, we will describe it in detail, referring to the drawings, and to theletters marked thereon.

The boat A may be made ot' any desirable size and form, and furnished with movable or stationary seats ad a. A base or trame, B, may be made of any suitable material, and of such shape as will suit the fancy for the purposes designed, and is painted in imitation ot' the water or the waves of the sea. In this mock watery base an opening is made the size and shape of the bottom of the boat, in which the boat A is placed so as to look as if it was sitting in the water, the boat being balanced and hung on the pins b b, so that it will teeter up and down as it is put in motion, thus resembling a boat passing over the waves.

dated April 10, 1866; antedated March 30, 1866.

I Under the watery base or frame B we place small wheels or rollers C 0,011 which the toy is supported at the rear end, the wheels C C being connected together by a rod, c, placed on one side ot their centers. 'The rod c passes through and works in a slot, d, on the keel of the boat, so that when the wheels turn, as in running, it gives a rocking motion to the boat.

When the article is constructed for the purpose of a nursery-perambulator it may have handles e e and pitmenff to work a pawl, g, and ratchet h. on the driving-wheels O C, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the rider may propel and rock himself, or, in other words, row his own boat.

The boat or perambulator may be directed 0r guided by means of the steering apparatus, the feet of the boatman being placed on the cross-piece l), in the bottom ot' the boat, just in front of the back seat, a', the piece D being connected by the post c with the wheel I, on which the tiller-rope 7c is placed to connect with and operate another pulley or turntable, K, at thet'orward end or bow ofthe boat. In the turn-table K are placed two rollers, m m, ou which the front end of the mock watery frame on base B is supported. Thus by the turning of the cross-piece D the boat is steered in any direction at the will of the rider.

Thus it will be seen that a very neat fancy article of a toy-may be made for the purposes of a toy, or the same principle may be carried out on an enlarged scale and make a novel and interesting article ot' use for the nursery or for the innocent amusement of juveniles, thus enabling them at an early period of their lives to learn to row their own boat Without much danger ot' their getting upset and no risk ot' drowning.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as a new article ot' manufacture, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A toy boat constructed in the manner as herein described, as a new article of manufacture.

GEO. J. OOLBY. L. H. THOMAS.

Witnesses v JOHN S. HOLLINGSHEAD, J. B. WOODRUFF. 

